Letter: Exams that help pupils to achieve their potential

Sir: Given the record of the Government's officious and antagonistic attitude to the teaching profession and the examination boards, the Secretary of State's ill-judged remark that this year's bumper crop of GCSE results must indicate falling standards comes as no surprise.

Mr Patten (and his new breed of HMIs) would do well to remember that the whole objective and rationale of the GCSE was to seek to raise standards by enabling more pupils to achieve their potential - and that, apparently, is precisely what is happening. So what is the problem?

Yours faithfully,

JOHN HADFIELD

Bideford, Devon

2 September

The writer is a teacher, GCSE moderator and A-level examiner.